Former astronaut James Lovell, immortalized recently in the hit movie "Apollo 13," will be on stage Sunday in the southwest suburbs as part of the Rialto Square Theatre's "Diamond Solitaires One on One" series. Lovell, whose book "Lost Moon" provided the basis for the film, was played by actor Tom Hanks in the movie, but he'll be himself Sunday, talking about the Apollo 13 mission and his accomplishments during his years in the space program from 1962 to 1973. 3 p.m. Sunday at the Rialto Square...

The Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago has spent $122 million on information technology that was supposed to be ready two years ago but still hasn't been able to mesh fully with its two computer systems, according to recent federal reports. The lack of interoperability between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense systems requires costly workarounds, the Institute of Medicine reported this week. As one example, the dispensary relies on...

Looking over the pockmarked surface of the moon, James Lovell lifted his thumb one more time to cover the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. "That's just about what it looked like," said Lovell, as he stood Wednesday before an interactive moon display at the Adler Planetarium. The commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission had gathered with students from the Chicago Public Schools' Air Force Academy High School to kick off a monthlong...

English poet Robert Browning wrote that a person's "reach should exceed his grasp. " That's always been the story of America, from our pioneers to our astronauts. Exploration is in our DNA. We have been reaching for the stars for more than half a century in space-faring alone, limited only by our collective imagination, the dangers of highly experimental space missions and the constraints of earthbound budgets. Yet, with space shuttle Atlantis returning Thursday from its final 13-day mission...

By In the Loop reported by Brenda Butler, Karen Klages and Patrick T. Reardon | May 27, 2001

He was 12 when his father died, so Jim Lovell, the young man who would be commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission and an American hero, took on a steady stream of jobs to help his mother make ends meet. In high school in Milwaukee, he served food and washed dishes in the school cafeteria, hauled boxes around a warehouse and worked with a tinsmith putting gutters on houses. "And for two summers I worked on a farm," he recalls. "I baled hay and cleaned out the pig pens.

The Apollo 11 astronauts weren't the only ones feted that year. •Jan. 14: The Apollo 8 spacemen, Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr. and William Anders, received a ticker-tape parade through the Loop. The Tribune reported that well over a million people lined the Kennedy Expressway and the parade route, though police said that didn't include the vertical crowds, the thousands who watched from office building windows. The three were the first to orbit the moon. Borman was born in Gary, though he grew up...

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the onboard explosion that nearly doomed James Lovell to an unpleasant death far from home, the retired astronaut showed up at the Adler Planetarium Wednesday bearing gifts. Artifacts that played crucial roles in getting Lovell and his Apollo 13 crewmates safely back to Earth will join the planetarium's permanent collection thanks to Lovell, whose exploits were immortalized in the 1995 film "Apollo 13." May 12 marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the...

Looking over the pockmarked surface of the moon, James Lovell lifted his thumb one more time to cover the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. "That's just about what it looked like," said Lovell, as he stood Wednesday before an interactive moon display at the Adler Planetarium. The commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission had gathered with students from the Chicago Public Schools' Air Force Academy High School to kick off a monthlong...

By A digest of coming events, compiled by John Gorman | November 10, 1996

James Lovell, son of astronaut Jim Lovell and executive chef at the Yorkshire Inn, will cook up interesting anecdotes, along with delicious specialties, in a free program at the Ela Area Public Library. 7 to 9 p.m., Monday, 135 S. Buesching Road.

William Anders, former astronaut, is holding a photograph he took in space 37 years ago of the Earth rising above the surface of the moon. It's an image that's been reproduced millions of times over the last four decades, showing a delicate and lonely planet set against the austere black of space. "What really made the earthrise [photo]," Anders says, "was not just this beautiful view of Earth out there on its own, but to see it contrasting against this ugly, beat-up, stark, shades-of-gray, foreboding moon...

The Lake Forest City Council granted a liquor license Thursday night to former astronaut James Lovell for his new restaurant. Lovell's of Lake Forest, 915 S. Waukegan Rd., is scheduled to open in late April. The restaurant needed the city's liquor license in order to get a license from the Illinois State Liquor Commission, city officials said. The 17,000-square-foot Lovell's will feature a 132-seat dining room on the main level and a 120-seat area upstairs for banquets and...

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the onboard explosion that nearly doomed James Lovell to an unpleasant death far from home, the retired astronaut showed up at the Adler Planetarium Wednesday bearing gifts. Artifacts that played crucial roles in getting Lovell and his Apollo 13 crewmates safely back to Earth will join the planetarium's permanent collection thanks to Lovell, whose exploits were immortalized in the 1995 film "Apollo 13." May 12 marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the...

On Nov. 11, 1620, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact in Massachusetts. In 1918 the Allies and Germany signed the World War I armistice. In 1966 astronauts James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin blasted off from Cape Kennedy aboard Gemini 12 for the last Gemini mission. In 1972 the U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Bihn to South Vietnam, symbolizing the end of U.S. military involvement Vietnam. In 1984 the New Orleans World's Fair closed after running...

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the onboard explosion that nearly doomed James Lovell to an unpleasant death far from home, the retired astronaut showed up at the Adler Planetarium on Wednesday bearing gifts. Artifacts that played crucial roles in getting Lovell and his Apollo 13 crewmates safely back to Earth will join the planetarium's permanent collection thanks to Lovell, whose exploits were immortalized in the 1995 film "Apollo 13." May 12 marks the 75th anniversary of the opening...

The Apollo 11 astronauts weren't the only ones feted that year. •Jan. 14: The Apollo 8 spacemen, Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr. and William Anders, received a ticker-tape parade through the Loop. The Tribune reported that well over a million people lined the Kennedy Expressway and the parade route, though police said that didn't include the vertical crowds, the thousands who watched from office building windows. The three were the first to orbit the moon. Borman was born in Gary, though he grew up...

By In the Loop reported by Brenda Butler, Karen Klages and Patrick T. Reardon | May 27, 2001

He was 12 when his father died, so Jim Lovell, the young man who would be commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission and an American hero, took on a steady stream of jobs to help his mother make ends meet. In high school in Milwaukee, he served food and washed dishes in the school cafeteria, hauled boxes around a warehouse and worked with a tinsmith putting gutters on houses. "And for two summers I worked on a farm," he recalls. "I baled hay and cleaned out the pig pens.

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the onboard explosion that nearly doomed James Lovell to an unpleasant death far from home, the retired astronaut showed up at the Adler Planetarium on Wednesday bearing gifts. Artifacts that played crucial roles in getting Lovell and his Apollo 13 crewmates safely back to Earth will join the planetarium's permanent collection thanks to Lovell, whose exploits were immortalized in the 1995 film "Apollo 13." May 12 marks the 75th anniversary of the opening...

The Lake Forest City Council granted a liquor license Thursday night to former astronaut James Lovell for his new restaurant. Lovell's of Lake Forest, 915 S. Waukegan Rd., is scheduled to open in late April. The restaurant needed the city's liquor license in order to get a license from the Illinois State Liquor Commission, city officials said. The 17,000-square-foot Lovell's will feature a 132-seat dining room on the main level and a 120-seat area upstairs for banquets and...